2011 ATHENA Public Sector Recipient: Darlene Newsom, UMOM New Day Centers

With a big heart and prodigious business brain, Darlene Newsom has helped improve the lives of thousands of abused, neglected and homeless children in her 35-year career of service and leadership.

Nine years after taking over as CEO of UMOM New Day Centers in Phoenix, Newsom has grown a $2 million, 65-employee agency into a thriving, $8 million organization employing 165 people and providing nightly shelter for 126 homeless families.

“One day when I was 10 years old, my dad came home from work and started putting food and clothes in a box,” Newsom remembers. “I asked, ‘What are you doing?’ and he said there was somebody at work who didn’t have food and clothes. That stuck with me, so I always knew I wanted to be in a helping profession.”

Newsom has done that and more. While becoming a nationally recognized advocate on homeless issues, she has also helped advance generations of community leaders by mentoring several colleagues to success and positions of prominence in the non-profit sector. Her unwavering commitment to community brings us all closer to the day when no child will face homelessness.